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A losing PR battle

On his blog, Informed Comment, Juan Cole has some use­ful tips that will be ig­nored by the Zion­ist es­tab­lish­ment. For them, bel­liger­ence and ac­cus­ing any crit­ics of anti-Semi­tism is a way of life. All the while, Is­rael is com­mit­ting a very pub­lic form of sui­cide:

1. Giv­ing the fin­ger to any ‘peace process’

2. Hypocrisy

3. Dis­re­gard for the rule of law

4. Puni­tive Poli­cies to­ward non-com­bat­ants

5. Vi­o­la­tions of in­ter­na­tional law

Cole con­cludes:

Is­raeli poli­cies are no more off lim­its to crit­i­cism than are Ar­gen­tin­ian or In­done­sian ones, de­spite what the coun­try’s re­mark­ably thin-skinned and in­tol­er­ant par­ti­sans often al­lege. And, when the cho­rus of crit­i­cism is com­ing from An­gli­cans, Pres­by­te­ri­ans, the UK For­eign Of­fice, the Aus­trian Sen­ate, and UN­ESCCO, that is a pretty wide set of world in­sti­tu­tions not eas­ily pi­geon-holed as mere big­ots. Maybe it is time for the Is­raeli gov­ern­ment to re­con­sider the self-de­struc­tive course it is on, which likely will lead to the end of the state some decades hence, as Is­raeli Pres­i­dent Shi­mon Peres is fran­ti­cally warn­ing.

"Palestinian municipal elections were supposed to be held last week. Instead, they were canceled. A statement released by the Palestinian Authority claimed the cancellation was "in order to pave the way for a successful end to the siege on Gaza and for continued efforts at unity" between Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, and the government in the West Bank.

The cancellation of this election was an unjustified, unlawful, and unacceptable act. It damages democratic rights and makes a mockery of the interests of the Palestinian people.

But this is far more than an internal Palestinian issue. The only lasting peace between Isr…